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Studio Ghibli Fans: What to see after "My Neighbor Totoro"


umsami
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My kids (and I) loved, "My Neighbor Totoro."  Which Studio Ghibli film would you recommend next? My kids are almost 12, almost 10, just turned 8, and almost 5.  I was thinking of, "Kiki's Delivery Service," but wanted to get the Hive's recommendations first.

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Kiki's Delivery Service is one of our favorites.  Oh heck, all Miyazaki movies are our favorites, but Kiki is so sweet and kind and fun, especially for the younger ones.  Spirited Away is my personal favorite, but I don't think my girls would have liked it at 5.  Castle in the Sky is another favorite here, too.  I would watch Kiki next.

 

My twins favorites are Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke but they have a strong environmental message, probably better for little older group.

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My twenty-one-year-old son, an ardent Studio Ghibli fan (who got me intrigued by the films), just read the op and recommends "Kiki" as the film suitable for all of the four ages listed.

 

For all of you adults here (this is O6 commenting now), I hope some of you got to see "When Marnie was There" during its recent limited release.  Outstanding film!

 

 

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Kiki and ponyo are nice as next in line.

 

Ponyo was streaming on Netflix for a long time and I was so sad when they lost the license to stream. One night I just could not sleep and just wanted to watch Ponyo to help me sleep, lol.

 

 

My kids love ALL of those films.  One... that has the girl and the wolves, I can't remember which one, might be a bit intense for the younger ones. But my kids liked it at age 9 and 14.

 

And don't forget Ariety's Secret. It is a retelling of The Borrowers.

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Ponyo and KiKi

 

 

 

BTW...for any older Ghibli fans do you know there is a new movie out?  When Marnie Was There. Released in 2014 in Japan, but just released in theaters May 2015 in the USA. Amazon has it on Pre-order for the DVD with no release date set yet. It is rumored to be the last for Ghibli, but since Hayao Miyazaki doesn't seem to stay retired for long, maybe it won't be after all.  

 

DS saw it a few weeks ago and said it was great! (of course LOL)

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Ponyo and KiKi

 

 

 

BTW...for any older Ghibli fans do you know there is a new movie out?

Released in 2014 in Japan, but just released in theaters May 2015 in the USA. Amazon has it on Pre-order for the DVD with no release date set yet. It is rumored to be the last for Ghibli, but since Hayao Miyazaki doesn't seem to stay retired for long, maybe it won't be after all.

 

DS saw it a few weeks ago and said it was great! (of course LOL)

I mentioned this film up-thread. Was fortunate to see it during the limited release. It was outstanding. Shall buy the DVD without fail.
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I mentioned this film up-thread. Was fortunate to see it during the limited release. It was outstanding. Shall buy the DVD without fail.

LOL We must have been typing at the same time.  I went to get the link to the film and got my self waylaid reading Wiki about Hayao Miyazaki.  

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Oh, and I love Howl's Moving Castle, and you can read the book too. And Arrietty is another one with a book that's great. Really, there are no bad Ghibli films. It's all just degrees of good.

Agree!

 

We watched one recently about the Japanese in WW2, The Wind Rises, so beautiful and sad. We all enjoyed it and it was so nice (to me) to have a different perspective on the war. Howl's Moving Castle is one of my favorites, the kids like Castle in the Sky and Kiki the best.

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We own them all. Whisper of the Heart is awesome. My Neighbors the Yamadas is hilarious and very 'japanese' compared to many others.

 

Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Pom Poko, The Cat Returns, and Nausicaa are all favorites here.

 

We love Porco Rosso, but there is more language than some others. Spirited Away freaked my kids out a bit at first but they love it now. Shockingly Mononoke-Hime didn't.

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Oh, and I love Howl's Moving Castle, and you can read the book too. And Arrietty is another one with a book that's great. Really, there are no bad Ghibli films. It's all just degrees of good.

I love, and own almost all of the Ghibli flims, but Pom Poko is one of the weirdest movies I have ever seen and have no intention of watching it again.  I had a hard time staying awake during it and think it would have been better if it were shorter. 

 

DD16 loves it and thinks it is hilarious.

DS20 likes it okay, but if it weren't for that fact that it is a Ghibli, wouldn't be interested in  watching it again. (He is always showing Ghibli movies to friends)

 

I would preview that one before having young kids watch it, despite its PG rating. 

 

 

 

 

Another film, Porco Rosso is dd8s favorite.  It is good but you will want to review it for age appropriateness in your family.

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We love Pom Poko, right down to the highly flexible pouches :rofl:

 

Howl was so well done, even though it didn't stay particularly faithful to the source.

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For the older kids, if you want to bawl your eyes out Grave of the Fireflies is one of the best animated movies of all time. Seriously. It's immense. But in no way lighthearted. At any point. I cried less during Schindler's List!

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For the older kids, if you want to bawl your eyes out Grave of the Fireflies is one of the best animated movies of all time. Seriously. It's immense. But in no way lighthearted. At any point. I cried less during Schindler's List!

My [referenced] son has told me not to watch "Grave of the Fireflies" because it would be too hard on me emotionally. He already knew that I refuse ever to watch "The Mission" again because the scene of the forced eviction devastates my heart as a parent.

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It's beautifully done, but I have only been able to sit through it once - the first time I saw it. It's on my list of movies people really need to see, especially teens and young adults. But yeah, for a sensitive mama it's a bit like Sophie's Choice - painfully real.

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My oldest dd refused to let her two youngest sisters watch "Grave of the Fireflies" for the longest time.  It broke her heart.  

I made the mistake of picking it up for the kids at the library without paying attention to what the movie was about. We made it maybe 20 minutes into the movie and then my 7 year old calmly got up, walked down the hallway and puked. It upset her THAT much. 

 

Talk about a devastatingly sad movie. Sob. 

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So anyway, it makes my list of the best Miyazaki movies and Studio Ghibli, on the whole. But it's not necessarily one I'd recommend just for casual fun viewership. Whisper of the Heart, Nausicaa, or Castle in the Sky would be my next pick for your viewing pleasure :)

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